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Purdue gets its man in Jeff Brohm

Athletic Director Mike Bobinski shakes hands with Jeff Brohm after introducing him as new head football coach Monday, December 5, 2016, at Purdue University. The former Western Kentucky football coach replaces Darrell Hazell, who was fired six games into the season.(Photo: John Terhune/Journal & Courier)Buy Photo

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue wasn't the first school to try to lure Jeff Brohm away from Western Kentucky.

The first wave came after the 2015 season, when Brohm led the Hilltoppers to a 12-2 record and a top 25 ranking. No one presented a combination of opportunity and commitment that could convince Brohm to leave a program he'd turned into one of the best among the "Group of Five" conferences.

That changed in recent weeks when Purdue targeted Brohm as the man who should design and lead its turnaround. Speaking at his introductory press conference at Ross-Ade Stadium on Monday, the 45-year-old former NFL quarterback said he had to be persuaded to leave a good situation, and Purdue got the job done.

"I'm excited about the challenge," Brohm said. "I think there's great leadership here. They're investing a lot into the football program. They understand what it takes to win, that it does take everybody, and Purdue really stood out to me."

Brohm's hire completed a seven-week process that began shortly after Purdue fired Darrell Hazell at mid-season.

Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski said he spent a week to 10 days "getting organized" and considering his own list of possible candidates. Next came deeper background research and the development of additional candidates with the help of search firm DHR International.

Then, Bobinski and others went to see prospective candidates. Some, like Brohm, didn't want to engage substantively until the completion of their regular seasons. Bobinski said Purdue's hard sell came Saturday night, after Brohm led Western Kentucky to a 58-44 victory over Louisiana Tech in the Conference USA championship game.

"You work down from a group and the funnel narrows until ultimately you find your person," Bobinski said. "Jeff was someone who early on was high on our list. We didn't get to see him until later on because he was playing and coaching, but he was someone I had interest in from the get-go.

"Once we saw him and once I did all this background and research on him, it was positive, positive, positive — no negatives were unturned at any point. It was all good."

It wasn't quite that simple. Multiple reports had Brohm fielding interest from Baylor and Cincinnati, and it's possible other schools were involved as well.

Was Bobinski worried someone might sneak in and steal his coach?

"Until it's done it’s not done, so was I concerned? Of course I was," Bobinski said. "There were always varying levels of concern throughout. At the end of the day, as I evaluated the opportunities that might be available to him, this is a better fit for lots of reasons.

"In our conversations that's something he brought up. I didn't have to point that out to him."